Expectations

[Cayman]

That's ridiculous. 10 yard punts can only be expected for upper echelon Big Ten teams.

I was unable to see the game, but I've seen something about 9 yard punt mentioned once or twice. Did he just shank it off the side of his foot or what? I remember against Wisconsin last year, that people were giving our punter (might have been Orseske) crap about a 10 yard punt, when in actuality it went about 30 yards and then took a 20 yard Wisconsin bounce, and I think that's more just bad luck than the punter's ineptitude.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

I was unable to see the game, but I've seen something about 9 yard punt mentioned once or twice. Did he just shank it off the side of his foot or what? I remember against Wisconsin last year, that people were giving our punter (might have been Orseske) crap about a 10 yard punt, when in actuality it went about 30 yards and then took a 20 yard Wisconsin bounce, and I think that's more just bad luck than the punter's ineptitude.

Ya, Oreske was victim of a horrible bounce. Eldred simply shanked this one for 7 yards. It was much worse than what Oreske pulled off last year (although Eldred seems to be a tad bit more consistent than him).

 

[John Galt]

I am sure that your expectations drive the Gophers. Your expectations are in your mind. If one is to set expectations, be a part of it to help a team achieve those expectations. It really is simple. Your imaginary expectations as a commentor on GopherHole versus realistic expectations as part of the TEAM doing something about it.

Some of us who have been season ticket holders for a long time have bigger expectations than you, who is content to have a team that can put their pants on and make it onto the field. I pay good money that goes to the athletic program, and haven't missed a game in 5 years, so I've done a lot more than comment on GH. No one is more pissed and embarrassed by the performance yesterday than the staff, so every fan has the right to comment on the game and be upset as well.

 

[The 12th Man]

We should get a pretty good idea next season if Kill's recruiting is going to lead to a team that can compete in the Big Ten. He will have a majority of the players on the field and many of them will have 3 years in his system at which point it should be reasonable to expect them to be preforming close to their high end ability level.

He pretty much gets a free pass in years 1 and 2 but by next season we should at least look like we belong on the field with some of the better teams in the conference if we are to believe that this coaching staff is going to get it done. Please don't see that as we should expect to win the conference but hopefully 38 unanswered points and looking totally overmatched will be a thing of the past.

I totally agree. I'm of the opinion that 6 wins with a lineup comprised largely by freshmen and sophomores is a huge feat to begin with, but I will be disappointed with anything less than 7 next year.

I think the biggest difference we will see (other than the productivity of the line) is in durability. Our guys are simply getting beat up, and that won't change overnight. The biggest difference between underclassmen and upperclassmen is how physical they are and how much they punishment they dish out vs. how much they take. It is obvious to me that the vast majority of issues are not mental, they are physical. That's why I am hopeful for the future. The kids play hard and know their jobs. Now, they need to build themselves physically.

 

[station19]

Anyone remember the infamous Sandy Stephens punt? Minus 15 yards I believe.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

Ya, Oreske was victim of a horrible bounce. Eldred simply shanked this one for 7 yards. It was much worse than what Oreske pulled off last year (although Eldred seems to be a tad bit more consistent than him).

I'm still not willing to label Orseske entirely a victim on that one. He was trying to control field position by putting enough backspin on the ball to stop it from going into the endzone, and he both grossly undershot where he was aiming for and put way too much backspin on it. I still agree that was more forgivable than a 7 yard shank, but Orseske definitely has some culpability for the outcome.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

I'm still not willing to label Orseske entirely a victim on that one. He was trying to control field position by putting enough backspin on the ball to stop it from going into the endzone, and he both grossly undershot where he was aiming for and put way too much backspin on it. I still agree that was more forgivable than a 7 yard shank, but Orseske definitely has some culpability for the outcome.

I agree with you, I just didn't want to start that debate again. Haha

 

[GopherGod]

The youth excuse gets thrown around a lot. A lot of people are sick and tired of it. Well, if you look at the depth chart from yesterday, it's pretty clear who the more experienced team was. I ran through the Gophers roster and struggled to come up with 20 Jrs./Srs. that I could qualify as regular contributors. This includes guys like Mike Henry, Brandon Green, Beal, Engel and Barker. Guys that are injured and/or play some, but certainly not every down players. Now, take a look at the Huskers depth chart from yesterday. Dominated by Jrs. and Srs., especially in the trenches, where the game was won by Nebraska.

http://www.huskers.com/pdf8/979895.pdf

3 of their 5 starting o-linemen are also former walk-ons.